Unique Things That You Should Know About Plywood
Plywood is a composite material
made from thin sheets of wood veneer bonded together with the grain of
neighbouring layers alternating up the direction. As a result, plywood is more
durable and can be dimensioned more precisely than solid wood.
Coincidentally, plywood has an
interesting history too — in particular, it's one of the most used building
materials in North America and Australia. The word itself derives from "plies," which
describes its layered structure and gives it the name: ‘plywood’. Plywood is
mainly used as a structural material, such as in homes and other buildings.
In the last few years, plywood has been used for many other purposes
than its main purpose, for instance, to strengthen the roof with its strong structure. Plywood
can be easily cut into smaller pieces without loss of strength and used as a
backing or a decorative element. What else can plywood be used for? Read
on to find out.
Plywood is available in a wide range of thicknesses, from less than
1/64" to more than 3/16". However, in common usage, the term plywood
can be used interchangeably with the term medium-density fibreboard (MDF). The most commonly available
thicknesses of plywood are 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 5/16",
3/8", and 1/2".
Plywood panels are available in
widths from as little as 4" to up to 12” and in standard
lengths of 8”, 10”, or 12”. Plywood panels
can be cut down to size with woodworking power saws, hand saws, and special
panel-cutting tools.
Think of plywood as a big pile of
wooden tiles — because it is; each piece consists of thin sheets that are
layered together. The sheets on top go one way, and underneath they go the
other.
Some Unique Things That You Should Know About Plywood
● Before being used to make plywood, each sheet of wood is
carefully thinned down so that the grain increases evenly up and down the
piece. A single large log can have many different sections if it's not
carefully thinned first or if it isn't cut into large pieces first.
● When pieces of wood are glued together, the grain of one
piece goes in the same direction as the adjacent piece. This is called
"cross-grained" and can weaken a wood panel. By cutting each piece
into smaller pieces, it makes each piece much stronger.
Benefits of Plywood:
● Plywood is a very strong and durable material. When used
for panelling purposes, plywood is typically 2" thick and is
available in various sizes. They are waterproof
plywood.
●
It is used extensively in homes and other buildings for
its ability to be cut easily, thus making it easier to apply to projects.
● It's also relatively cheap, costing less than $2 per square foot for 4-ft by 8-ft sheets.
●
It's also very eco-friendly because it's made efficiently
with fewer virgin materials. Choosing plywood over solid wood is a way of
conserving natural resources that would otherwise have to be cut and then
disposed of.
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